Game apparatus for practice use by lawn bowlers



D. W. GRANT Feb. 20, 1962 GAME APPARATUS FOR PRACTICE USE BY LAWN BOWLERS Filed Feb. 29, 1960 United States Patent 3,022,074 GAME APPARATUS FOR PRACTICE USE BY LAWN BOWLERS Denison W. Grant, 1 Crescentview Drive, Grantland Park, Franklin, Pa. Filed Feb. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 11,671 5 Claims. (Cl. 273-39) This invention relates to game apparatus, specifically to apparatus cooperative with the bowl and jack used in the game of lawn bowling and available for use in a restricted space, for example in a living room, which will yield results comparable, from an index standpoint, to the results obtained in the actual game of lawn bowling, the apparatus being therefore valuable for practice in playing the game of lawn bowling in restricted areas and enabling the bowler to improve his game.

In lawn bowling the greens are bounded by shallow ditches and may be of various lengths and widths. A length of 120 feet and a width of feet may be assumed as a fair example. The bowling balls, known a bowls, are spheroidal and are rolled in the plane of their greater diameter (approximately 5 inches), in the direction of their plane of less diameter (approximately 4 inches) being weighted on one side. The target is a small white ball of 2 /2 inches in diameter known as the jack. According to the rules of the game, the jack is initially positioned by rolling or placement and its distance from the remote ditch (in the direction in which the bowl is thrown) is not less than six feet. The bowler stands upon a mat which may be placed in diiferent positions, according to the rules of the game, and in throwing the bowl, must keep one foot on the mat. The object of the game is to have the bowl when it comes to rest'as close to the jack as may be possible within the bowlers skill. The rules of the game provide for flexibility in respect to the length of the green (using the word length to signify the direction in which the bowl is thrown), the position of the jack and the position of the mat. The bowl, losing momentum as it rolls and being heavier on one side, toward the end of its roll will travel in a curved path known as its bias. In throwing the bowl, if its heavier side be at the right the bias will'be toward the right and if its heavier side be at the left the bias will be toward the left.

The principal object of the invention is to provide apparatus for use in a restricted space, for example (and of course without limitation) in a living room having a dimension of 25 feet in one direction, in which the carpet (or other supporting surface) is'utilized as the green and the instruments .of play are the actual bowls and jack, the players throwing the bowl with the force which they usually exercise in actual play and having the assurance that the results of the approach of the bowl to the jack, despite the small space available, will be fairly comparable to the results which they would have attained in the actual play of the game. Thereby, and by dint of repeated practice throws of the bowl, their actual play of the game will be improved.

Further objects are to provide apparatus which will be stable in use, lightin weight and readily portable, small in compass and convenient for storage, and which will have appropriate safeguards against the effects of wild throwssuch as are occasional in the actual play of the game.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention embodies a combination of elements including a resilient rebound cushion composed of suitable yieldable and resilient material, foam rubber being ideal, the cushion being of trapezoidal cross section with a length of the order of a yard, a vertical dimension substantially greater than the maximum diameter of the bowl, and an inclined active face s 3,022,074 Patented Feb. 20,

ice

in such overhanging relation to the surface along which the bowl is thrown that the bowl cannot bounce upon its return or recoil movement and a rigid frame within'which the cushion is fitted and by which it is securely held, the frame to be placed against any suitable back-stop such as the wall of a room or, if the game be played outdoors, two or more stakes anchored in the ground, the frame preferably carrying a pair of hinged wings, one located at each end and which are foldable to positions adjacent the inclined face of the cushion'when the apparatus is not in use and are movable into forwardly projecting and divergent relation which they occupy during the use of the apparatus, the wings providing protection against wild throws. The jack is located at a suitable distance in front of the cushion, for example five or six feet and may be rolled to, or placed in, its position, and the bowls are thrown against the cushion. The cushion has both a yielding quality and a resilient quality. By virtue of its yielding quality the cushion checks the momentum of the bowls as thrown with full force and by virtue of its re' silient quality and the fact that the bowls are heavier at' one side it causes the rebound, of the bowls in a direction' at an angle to their path as thrown by the bowler. "In

their rebound travel the bowls move comparatively slowly and after a short straight length of their rebound travel their curved bias commences. The player efiectshis full delivery of the bowl, the same as on the actual bowlinggreen, and after a period of practice will get results which are reasonably comparable with the results of his similar delivery of the bowl on the bowling green, the skill of the player'being exercised to cause the bowl to come to rest as close as possible to the jack whatever its position may be in its remoteness from the,cushion.

More than one player may simultaneously use the ap paratus for the essential purpose of practice. However, asthe players continue their practice use of the apparatus, they may also utilize the apparatus as a game according to rules upon which they may agree and with scoring similar to the scoring in the actual game of lawn bowling.

In the drawings: I FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus and also shows the jack and the bowl thrown by a player andin a position at rest near the jack.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the apparatus, the wings being shown in the parts broken away by reason of the space limitation of the drawing.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view on theline 3-3 of FIGURE 2. 7

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of FIGURE 3 with frame parts shown inplan and: with the wings shown in' dot and dash lines in their folded v assumed by rebound to have reached alposition as close,

to the jack as the player has been able toletfect.

The cushion 1 is composed of a solid section of "suitably yieldable and resilient rubbenfoam rubber being ideal for the purposes in view. The cushion has a length of three or four feet and its functional dimensions are, of course, subject to variation within practical limits, the recommended dimensions being a height of eight inches, a width across the top of seven inches and a width across the bottom of four inches, the cushion thereby having a body amply suflicient to withstand the impact of the bowl and upon such impact to react against the bowl and having an active front face 2 which extends well above the bowl and is in a suitably inclined plane whereby it overhangs the floor F (or other supporting surface) along which the bowl B is thrown, the face 2 meeting the bottom face at an obtuse angle and meeting the top at an acute angle, and its lower edge being indicated in FIGURES 12 and 4f b y the broken line X. While the inclination and extent of the face 2 may be varied within practical limits it is always such that, as overhanging the 7' T floor F and the bowl B, it will overcome any tendency of of the cushion 1, the side bars projecting forward to some extent beyond the active face 2 of the cushion and cushion securing members 6 attached to the inner faces of the projecting portions of the bars and having inclined cushion engaging faces 7 which uniformly bear with some degree of clamping pressure upon the ends of the inclined face2.

V The apparatus preferably includes wings 8 and 9 connected by piano type hinges 10 to the respective side bars 5, a In the 1 6 of the apparatus the wings projectin diverging relation forwardly fromthe'bars 5, theirfunction being to intercept any wild throws- The cushion securing members dihave outer edgefaces parallel to and terminating short of the outer edgefaces of the side bars S and therebyprovide rabbets 11 and 12, the rabbet 11 at the right (FIGURE 1 being considered) being of suitably greater depth :than .the rabbet 12'at the opposite side of the-frame. .The rabbets 11 and 12 enable the folding of the wings'8 and 9,in overlying relation when the apparatus is to'b'e stored in a closet; By reason of the greater depth -'off.the' rabbet 11 the wing-.8,' as sufficiently indicated in 7 FIGURE 4, may be folded into a position in which it is adjacent-the active face 2 of the cushion and the wing 9 may thereafter be folded into a position in which it overlies the wing 8, the wings as folded being insubstantially parallel relation with the wing "9 parallel to the a rear bar 4 of the frame 3.

7 to its place of use, either indoors It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the apparatus of the invention is lightin weight, compact in structure and readily portable from its place of storage or outdoors.

I claim: I

1. A portable game apparatusfor practice use by lawn bowlers'in connection with a standard lawn bowl, having one side heavier than the other and a standard jack, comprising, in combination: 'a resilient rebound cushion composed of a solid section of;yieldable and resilient material having a length of the order of three feet for support upon a floor, having a body of uniform cross sectional shape and ample dimensions to withstand and cushion the impact of the bowl as thrownby the player and upon such impact toyield with substantial cushioning effect and thereafterto react against the bowl and impel it upon a relatively short return or recoil movement at a retarded rate, the cushion having an active flat front The jack J'maybe positioned at the right or left of the center: line. The bowl B. may be thrown perpendicularly'or at an angle to the face 2. With the bowlB' thrown perpendicularly its rebound movement will be at an angle to the right or left of the perpendicular, line, accordingly as the-heavier side of' the bowl may be at the right or left, the angle of such recoil or returnmovement of "the'bowl being of maximum degree to the perpendicuface against which the bowl impinges when thrown, such front face extending upwardly from the floor to an elevation substantially greater than the vertical diametric plane of the bowl as thrown, the front face being inclined to extend inoverhanging relation to the floor,'the angle of inclination being such as to prevent bouncing of the bowl on its return movement as effected by the cushion, and a floor engaging frame by which the cushion is supported and within which it is secured, the frame exposing the active front face of the cushion to the bowl as thrown by the player. i a

.2. Aportable game apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cushion has a vertical rear face and vertical side faces and the frame comprises a rear bar which adjoins the rear face of the cushion, sidebars connected to the ends of the rear bar and projecting forward in adjoining relation to' the side faces of the cushion, the side bars projectingto some extentbeyond the active face of the cushion and securing members attached to the inner faces of the projecting portions of the side bars and having inclined cushion engaging faces which uniformly 'bear wherein the side bars of the frame project. beyond the 7 active front face 'of the cushion and-wings are connected larline. If the -bowl be thrown along a line at an angle 7 to the face 2 its recoil or return path will, -of" c0uISe, 'be at a angle to theperpendiculanthe particular degree of angularjty depending upon the angle of its travel as thrown. In general, the greater the angle to the perpendicular line'of the bowl B'as thrown, the less will be the angle to the perpendicular line of the bowlB inits return movement. These characteristics, among ot ers, chal:

lenge -the .players skill "and the player, by dint of repeated "practice'eiforts, will improve his control of the bowland will thereby have correspondinglyimproved controlin the faetual playing of the game of lawn bowling. V When the DOWLB as thrown strikes the faceiz it will l depress'therubbe'r-of the cushion to'some extent assufiiciently indicated by thebroken 'line positi n .Y FIG- URE 3 andga'substantial percentage of its momentum will absorbed 'by the cushion 1. The cushion being resilient will, of course,,return to its norm'al'outline and at the same time willimpel'the' bowl on its an'gnlarreturn path,

the bowl i el coming to rest in a position adjacent leliae nd as close to the jackas m be i with thaw ers n to the projecting portions of the side bars and extend in diverging relation, the wings serving to intercept any wild throws of the bowl. 7 V

4. A portable game apparatus as set forth in claim .2

wherein the securing members have edge'faces which terminate short of the edge'faces of the sidebars and provide rabbets', the rabbet at one a side of the frame being-of greater depth than the rabbet atthe other side, and wherein wings are hi igtidly connected to the projecting 'por-tionsof the side bars and by virtue of the rabbets may be folded in parallel relation to pne another and to thecushion whenthe use of the apparatus isnot required.

:fSQA portable game apparatus as setfo'rth inclaim 1 wherein the; cushion is composed of v foam rubber,

References Cited in the file ofthis, patent? UNITED sr rns PATENTS. 

